of foul play, suicide, or accident.
There is absolutely nothing about the body to indicate what the cause
of his death was."

"I don't fancy giving up the case."

"Well, we never before found a job we couldn't finish successfully,"
said the old detective. "But how we are to unravel the mystery of this
man's death is beyond my power of thinking."

Harry pondered a few moments in silence.

Several ideas passed through his mind and he finally said:

"Will you stick to the case a while longer if I do?"

"Certainly. Why did you ask that question?"

"Because we haven't satisfied ourselves about what Mason and the black
valet were doing on the river with that boatman. If we find that the
old gray-bearded fellow was the one who brought the body to the morgue,
it would seem to indicate that Mason and the coon know something about
how Mr. Dalton may have met his doom. Remember the object they had
towing behind the boat may have been the old broker's corpse. We can
find out by attending the coroner's inquest and gaining a glimpse of
the man who picked up the body."

"Then we shall do so."

On the following day they went to the morgue again and there found the
coroner and his jury.

The inquest was in progress.

As the boatman who found the body was the only witness present the
Bradys saw him the moment they entered the building.

It proved that their suspicion was correct.

He was the same little old man whom they had seen rowing Mason and
Johnson out on the river.

Satisfied of this and having learned his address, the detectives left
the building with renewed hope in their hearts.

Outside, Harry said to his partner:

"It's the same fellow, sure enough."

"No doubt about it, Harry. But then, he may have found the body long
before he met the negro and Mason. He may have learned whose corpse it
was and telegraphed to Mason to come down to the river and identify
it."

Harry shook his head.

"I don't agree with your view," said he.

"Why not? It's plausible."

"No, it ain't. It don't account for Johnson being there ahead of
Mason."

"By Jove, I didn't think of that."

"I tell you, Old King Brady, the whole circumstance is so suspicious
that I'm yet of the opinion that the whole thing is a deep-laid plot,
and I'm convinced that we will get at the bottom of the mystery if we
keep a watch on the foxy Mr. Mason."

"It won't do any harm to try a while longer."

Harry looked pleased to hear this, and the